Not Alone
by StarsInTheSky123
Summary: James loved Lily when they were in Hogwarts, but she didn't feel the same. Two years later, Lily is dealing with a lot when James comes back into her life and helps her realize something important. LilyJames, obviously. Briefly implied LilyLupin. R & R
1. Before

* * *

"Lily Evans," James Potter called, "Are you, no, you can not possibly be… studying? A week before graduation? Do my eyes deceive me?"

Lily rolled her eyes, "James, go find your stupid friends and leave me alone, for just once in your life. I have one more potions exam to take, but you wouldn't know that, seeing as _you _failed your potions O.W.L."

James slid onto the desk she was working on. He looked down at her with intense eyes, "Well then, let's hope that our child has your potions talent, not mine." Lily snorted, "_Our _child, that's rich."

James faked hurt and discouragement, "Really Lily, most girls would be asking if that was a marriage proposal, and you laugh at me." Lily put down her quill and looked up at James, "Most girls are, at this moment, partying with your friends because they _almost_ lived until graduation," she sighed, "I'm not most other girls James, you've said that yourself on more than one occasion."

James leaned towards her until he his eyes were level with hers. "You know," he said softly, "that was a marriage proposal." He searched her eyes for answers. She didn't have any.

Lily was utterly taken aback. She had never seen James so serious. He leaned closer, until his lips were only inches from hers. She could feel his warn breath on her face. James was still looking for her reaction in her eyes. She was still unsure. He moved his lips closer, and at the last possible second, Lily turned her head. His lips gently brushed her jaw.

"James," she breathed, "I can't." James sat up, but just a little. "Are you sure?" he asked. Lily could only nod. "Alright then," he said, getting off the desk. He stood there for a moment, contemplating.

Then he bent down and kissed the top of the Lily's head. "Good bye Lily," he whispered, "I sincerely hope that one day we will meet again and you will choose to love me. But even if you didn't, I hope you're happy with whoever you choose," he smiled sadly, "Even if it is Remus."

And then he walked out of the library, leaving Lily behind him.


	2. Lily's Choice and James's Decision

**Disclaimer: I still don't own anything. Sorry.**

Two years later, Lily Evans sat at her kitchen table in wizard London, reading the Daily Prophet, along with a muggle newspaper. The Daily Prophet's Headline read, " His Army Grows Stronger As He Adds Inferi to His Troops." Lily sighed. Voldemort's rise to power was so sudden it struck terror into most of the population. So much terror, that people were afraid to say his name.

She picked up the muggle paper. That headline read " Fifty-Seven Dead In Fire. Cause of Fire Unknown" Blood boiled under Lily's skin; wizards were one thing, but killing innocent, helpless muggles? Her parents and sister were muggles. She had a soft spot for muggles. She was almost at muggle herself! Lily scanned the article until she saw something that made her want to keel over. Someone knocked at the door, but Lily didn't have the strength to open it, and her throat was so dry so she couldn't call to whoever it was. She wasn't even sure if she was breathing. The last thing she remembered before she blacked out was reading the words, "Among the dead: Sarah and John Evans."

When she came to; she was on the floor and Remus Lupin was bending over her, his face full of concern. She hadn't seen Remus since they broke it off almost a year ago. "Lily, what happened? Are you all right? What can I do? Is everything okay?" Remus stared at her questioningly.

"Remus," she said faintly, "my parents, Voldemort, he, them, the muggle paper, they're, it said, dead." Her voice cracked. "Oh, Lily," Remus spoke with sympathy, "I'm so sorry." Lily sat up, "What are you here for anyway? I imagine that you were the one knocking on the door." Remus cleared his throat, "Well, obviously, this is a bad time, so I better just-"

"No," Lily cut him off, " Sit, stay, I want to know why you're here." "Well," he said, "I came on behalf of the Order of the Phoenix. It's a group working to stop You-Know-Who. We were requesting you join us. We could use you, you are a very talented witch." She spoke quickly, "You're a group working to stop Voldemort?" Remus flinched. She continued, "I'm in."

"Lily," he said sternly, "You are upset and in shock. Obviously, you are in no condition to make this kind of decision. This is a serious decision and a big risk; you could lose a lot more than just your life if you decide to join us."

"Remus," Lily said seriously, "I don't need to think about this," she looked him in the eye, "I want to help."

* * *

At the same time Lily was in her kitchen talking to Remus, James was sitting at his own breakfast table across town. He and Sirius had lived in a flat in muggle London since graduation. They had grown up in the past two years, him and Sirius. Well, he had grown up at least. 

James went to the refrigerator (he particularly liked this muggle contraption, it had come with the flat) and when he found that there was no milk, he picked up the orange juice and poured it into his cereal. (A/N: my sisters and I actually tried this once, its not that bad; just a little bitter. I wouldn't recommend it though)

He sighed, whose turn was it to get the groceries? Oh, I was his. Like James's hair, his thoughts could be rather disheveled. Where was Sirius, he wondered. And then he remembered, Sirius had gone on a date with a girl named Rebecca last night, and hadn't come home yet. James chuckled and shook his head. "When will Sirius grow up?" he wondered aloud.

He picked up a spoon and took a bite of his cereal. Mmm… he rather liked it with orange juice; maybe he wouldn't have to go buy milk today after all. Just as he was finishing his breakfast, Sirius burst through the door. "Hello mate," James said cheerfully, "Good night last night?"

"Listen mate, I've got something to tell you!" Sirius said ignoring James's question, "You know how you were saying just the other night that you didn't think that the Ministry was doing enough to stop You-Know-Who?" James sighed, "Please Sirius, just say Voldemort, don't start with that You-Know-Who rubbish." Sirius flinched at Voldemort's name, "If you're going to say his name, whatever, just don't say it around me. Anyway, as I was saying, a lot of other people think so too-"

"Think what?" James asked. Sirius rolled his eyes, "Keep up, James. People who don't think that the Ministry is doing enough! They've formed a group that is working to stop You-Know-Who. The Order of the Phoenix." James sat up, "So there really is an Order of the Phoenix?"

"Yes James," Sirius was growing impatient now, " The Order has been going on right under our noses. Frank Long bottom's in it, and Arthur and Molly Weasley, Alastor Moody, Dumbledore, McGonagall, Molly's brothers, and…Remus" Sirius said the last name very hesitantly, but James surprised him by not freaking out.

"So," James said, "How can we help them?" " Well," Sirius spoke slowly, " I sort of, well, I've already joined up. That is where I was last night. But if you're sure about this, we would be glad to have you." "Sirius," said James, " I have only been this sure once before in my life, and that was when I asked Lily to marry me. Of course I am sure."

"No offense mate," Sirius said, "But from what I understand, your proposal to Lily didn't exactly go too well. For you, being sure tends to blow up in your face." James grinned, "Of course it does, Sirius, but that's a risk I'm willing to take."

**A/N: I know that this chapter is pretty short, but the chapters will get longer, I promise. However, that means that the updates will be farther apart, not to mention I'm working on another project too. So, bear with me, I'll get the next chapter out as soon as I can. Oh, yeah, and I know that the Weasley's weren't in the original Order, but if I did everything exactly as J.K. Rowling did it, it wouldn't be my story. **


	3. Veritaserum

It was agreed upon that the Order would meet the following week. Both James and Lily were eager with anticipation. James had been taking less work, no more extra shifts at work (even if he did sort of need the money); he wanted to devote most of his time to the Order of the Phoenix. Lily, however, was quite the opposite.

First, she had to get through her parents funeral service. It was a small ceremony, and when no one was watching she transfigured two forget-me-nots into lilies, and laid one in each of the caskets. The funeral wasn't nearly as bad as she thought it would be. But afterwards, she was as busy as ever.

She took on extra shifts at St. Mungo's, where she worked in the ward for hexed or cursed muggles, spent endless time cleaning out her flat and working on ridiculous projects, and if she had any possible free time left, reading up about the dark arts (in preparation for her joining the Order). If it weren't for the Order, Lily probably would have been working seven days a week. Before her parents' death, she took Sundays off to catch up on housework and bills, visit friends, or, before they broke up, to be with Remus. But since the Order met on Sundays, it was quite impossible for Lily to do anything.

Eventually, Sunday rolled around. Remus came by to take her to headquarters, because she still did not know where that exactly was. Lily had to pretend not to be reminiscent of the times he had come to take her someplace before, however, those times had nothing to do with business. Remus seemed unaware of the deja v of it all. "Shall we?" he asked. Lily nodded.

They apparated out of her flat and into the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade. "Hogsmeade?" she asked in confusion. Remus shook his head but otherwise said nothing. Then they used the floo network to get to Diagon Alley. Then they apparated to a country road. "We'll walk from here." Remus said. They walked the half or so mile in silence. Eventually, they arrived at the Burrow. "Arthur and Molly Weasley's place," he explained. Lily nodded.

"Are you ready?" he asked, " Are you sure? There is no turning back once you walk through that door." Lily hesitated, "In that case…" She opened the door (rather loudly) and strode through it pointedly. She looked back at him, "Let's go."

* * *

James was already sitting in the Weasley's kitchen when they heard a loud noise around the front door. In a flash, Moody was at the front door, pointing his wand at the door. Lily, seeing that Moody was going to attack, pulled out her wand, and was muttering a spell under her breath. Lily was fast, but Moody was faster. She was disarmed before he was, and the next thing she knew, witches and wizards surrounded her, all pointing their wands at her. 

James was not one of them. He, like Sirius and Peter, was unsure what to do. Obviously, Lily was not part of the Order of The Phoenix, so what was she doing here? McGonagall pulled out a bottle of Veritaserum and poured it down Lily's throat. Then, Remus Lupin stepped into the house. Everyone in the room's eyes went to the same place. First, they all stared at Lupin for a very long time, and then, comprehending that she was with him, everyone looked at James, knowing his past feeling with Lily.

But James was still staring at Lily, who was choking on the potion still. "Well," muttered Moody, "I suppose we were going to do that anyway." James felt bad for Lily; he had to drink the Veritaserum once and he remembered all to well the feeling of all your secrets being exposed. They sat Lily down in the kitchen, and McGonagall began asking questions, "Why are you here?"

"Remus asked me to join the Order of the Phoenix, and I agreed. So he brought me here," Lily choked out.

"Do you have a darker purpose?"

"No."

"Do you serve anyone besides the Order of the Phoenix?"

"Just the cursed or hexed muggles at St. Mungo's."

James couldn't help but laugh.

"What do you do for them?" McGonagall had never heard that kind of answer before. "I give them pumpkin juice, mostly, and then I sedate them," Lily sputtered. Now James had burst out laughing. McGonagall looked at the rest of the Order, "Can anyone think of anything else to ask Miss Evans?"

"What have she been doing since graduation?" Peter Pettigrew wondered aloud. Sirius smirked, "Well, fetching the muggles juice and then sedating them, of course." James was still laughing. McGonagall gave them the one of her looks. All three of them sobered up immediately.

Molly took Lily out of the kitchen so she could go lie down. It would be about twelve hours before the potion wore off. "Well," said Dumbledore, "now that that is all taken care of, shall we get down to business?" The others nodded. Dumbledore smiled. "First off, Molly, Arthur, would it be possible for Lily to stay here until the potion wears off? We don't want her getting into the wrong hands, that is unless Lupin has other plans…" Dumbledore trailed off. "No, no, no, Lily should stay here," Lupin said quickly. Dumbledore looked at the Weasley's, "Is that alright?" Arthur and Molly exchanged looks; "Actually-," Arthur began.

"She can stay with me."

James looked around, who had said that? Everyone was looking at him. Oh dear, it must have been him, "I'll be off for a few days anyway, and Lily is welcome to stay with me." Dumbledore smiled knowingly and called out, "Lily, do you mind if you stay with James Potter until the potion wears off?" "No, I guess it's okay," Lily called back drowsily. Dumbledore nodded, "Then its settled." James was astounded. Lily Evans was going to stay with him. And then he grimaced. Lily was not going to be happy when that potion wore off.

Sirius threw him a questioning glance. But everyone else was on to the next thing on the agenda; Lily's entrance had gotten them a little behind schedule. James however, looked up and saw Lupin staring at James with an indecipherable expression on his face. James wondered why he didn't take Lily. They had arrived together, so he assumed that they were together. A good boyfriend would take care of his girlfriend, especially when she was this vulnerable. He shook his head a little, he could think more on that later. Now, it was really time to get down to business.

But all too soon, the sun was rising, and almost everyone had a job to get to tomorrow. So, James, picked up Lily, and then apparated directly home, which was a very risky move. The Order would not be happy if they had found out, but with Lily in the condition she was in, James felt it was necessary. He laid her on his bed, grabbed a pillow, and went to sleep on the couch. It had been a long night for everyone.

* * *

When Lily woke up the next morning, she noticed two things: 1) that is was almost 11:30 and she was several hours late for her job and 2) that she was not in her own bed. Both of these things profoundly confused her. Lily Evans was never late, and Lily Evans almost always woke up in her own bed. 

She looked at the comforter, it was old, ratty, clashed with the rest of the room, so it must have been a bachelor's and it was not Remus's. All of these things alarmed her. If it were Remus's bed that she was lying in, she would have been horrified and embarrassed, but not alarmed.

Remus was a gentleman. The only time she had ever spent the night at his flat was when she tried a bit of fire whiskey and was in no condition to go home. But this was not Remus Lupin's comforter, bedroom, or flat. She looked down and much to her relief; she still had her clothes on.

She thought about apparating right then, but she was curious to see where exactly she was. She climbed out of bed and opened the door. At first, she didn't see anyone, but then she turned the corner and found James Potter sitting at the breakfast table, eating a bowl of cereal with orange juice. And she did what any normal woman would do in such a situation. She screamed.

* * *

"Why are you screaming?" James yelled over Lily's screams. Lily just stared at him with wide eyes and kept shrieking at the top of her lungs. "You know, this is a muggle flat and they can hear you, and you won't be able to just give them pumpking juice and sedate them," he yelled again. Lily shut up, mostly because she was confused by his statement. 

"Where am I?" She whispered. James laughed again, but stopped abruptly when he saw how frightened she really was. He made his voice softer when he said, "You really don't remember what happened last night?" She shook her head. He grinned, "Well, in that case…"

"James Potter!" she cried and picked up the first object she could find, which was thankfully a pillow, and threw it at him. James kept on grinning. "Well," he said, "Why don't you sit down and have some breakfast, and I will explain everything to you." He poured her some cereal and orange juice. She wrinkled her nose and pulled her wand out of her pocket. She transfigured the orange juice into milk. James laughed gleefully, "Now I don't have to buy milk this week either!" Lily rolled her eyes. "Pathetic," she muttered. James just laughed again.

She looked him over and sighed, "I always did remember you being such a happy person." He looked at her seriously, "I sincerely hope you remember me, it's only been two years since we last saw each other, do you remember?" She looked down at her cereal as she answered softly, "Of course I remember, how could I forget?" They sat in silence for a moment, though James was comfortable in it. Lily, however, was not.

"So," she said to brightly, hoping to change the subject, "What happened last night? The last thing I remember is arriving at the Burrow." James held his hands up, "Before I tell you, I would like to ask you one more question. Do you promise you will answer?" "I promise," Lily said solemnly. He asked, "What's up between you and Lupin?" Lily sighed, "You haven't changed a bit, Potter. But that's my business. You have no right to ask that." James smirked, "Maybe not, but you promised to answer." She sighed, defeated, "Alright then, after graduation, Remus and I got together, and it became serious."

"How serious?" James asked, "Why didn't he offer to take you home?"

Now it was Lily who held her hands up. "I said I would answer your first question, that was it, but I will answer your other questions if you stop interrupting me. How serious? Well, I thought that he was going to be the one I married. I loved him. That serious. My parents thought he was nice enough, but too quiet for me. I always told them that they were wrong, and that he was perfect. Of course, they didn't know about his _flaws_ but they did notice that he was different from other wizards. I never told them about his-"

"Furry little problem?" James offered. Lily nodded, "Yes. Anyway, we dated for over a year, and then, about nine months ago, he felt that we were getting too serious. So he broke it off," Lily sighed, "He's much too hard on himself about the whole werewolf thing, I think that was part of the problem. And that's the story, I didn't see him again until last week when he showed up at my flat to offer me a place in the Order." James leaned across the table a bit, "Do still love him?" She shrugged, "I think so, but I'm not sure."

James sighed, "Lily, can you stand?" She stood and replied, "yes."

"Now tell me," he said, "What it was that I did to all your admirers fifth year." Lily looked confused but said; "You used the Levicorpus on them." He sighed again, "What was the worst grade you ever got on an exam?" She was still confused when she said, "An "Acceptable" in Divination."

He was looking very solemn now, "Okay, last one: why did you refuse my marriage proposal?" She looked down now but said quietly, "Because I didn't love you like that."

James stood up. "Lily," he declared, "I think- no, I _know_ that you had more than one drop of Veritaserum, because you answered all of those questions. Obviously, the potion has not worn off yet, and the Order asked me to do two things, the first was to keep you in my flat until the Veritaserum wears off, and the second was not to tell you anything until it does, just in case I fail at the first. Therefore, you are stuck her for another twelve hours." Lily groaned, "You mean I will have no one for company but _you_ for twelve more hours?" James smiled, "Don't be ridiculous, Lily, Sirius lives here too." Lily sat down on the couch and groaned again, "I think I liked it better when it was just you. I have had enough with all you Marauders!"

James sat down next to her, "Well, if it makes you feel better, I won't take advantage of you by asking overly-personal questions that you would be bound to answer." Lily threw him a death glare. "I don't trust you," she accused. James pretended to look hurt, "Why ever not?" Lily glared again, "Because, you are asking me questions like 'why ever not?' and you know I am compelled to answer. And you have your mischievous grin on." James looked surprised, "You can tell the difference between my range of grins." He said it as a statement more than a question

"Yes, I can," Lily snapped, "And I can tell the difference between your expressions, too. You're enjoying yourself at my expense." James tried to supress his happiness, "Alright, can I ask one more question?"

"No," said Lily curtly.

"Do you know that I'm going to ask you anyway?" he smirked. "Yes," grumbled Lily.

"Alright, which one of my grins is your favorite?"

"I don't ha-" she started choking, and then she sighed and said, "the mischievous one." He grinned his mischievous grin. Lily grimaced; it was going to be a long day.

* * *

Lily did manage to get through the majority of the day by using a Muffliato charm. That way she didn't have to answer all of James and Sirius's strange and over- personal questions. Lily didn't know it, but once they realized that she couldn't hear them, they began to talk about her. 

James told Sirius about Lily's reaction to waking up in their flat, her transfiguring the orange juice into milk, and his discovery that she was still under the influence of the Veritaserum.

"What about her and Lupin?" Sirius asked. James simply told him that they had dated for a year, but were no longer together. In fact, James kept several parts of his day with Lily to himself. For example, he did not tell Sirius about how he asked her why she didn't marry him and the fact that she noticed the difference between his expressions and smiles. All the while, Lily just sat on the couch and read the Daily Prophet.

Eventually, they knew the Muffliato charm had worn off when James said, "Lily, have you been listening to us?"

"Yes," came the answer. Sirius smirked. He opened his mouth to ask her a question, but before he could, the doorbell rang. "Blimey! I forgot that I have a date tonight. You don't mind if go on my date tonight, do you, Lily?"

"Leave!" she yelled. He opened the door and a woman James did not recognize came in. Sirius told her that he would be ready in a minute and suggested that she sit down and wait for him in the living room. When she saw Lily, she demanded, "Who's this?" "Umm…well…" Sirius tried to think of an explanation, "She's James's girlfriend!"

James and Lily both stared at him. Sirius's date turned to Lily, and James quickly muttered a Muffliato. "Do you live here?" she asked Lily.

"She's deaf," James said rather loudly. The woman turned to him, "Really." Sirius saw a chance and took it. "I'm ready now!" he announced, "let's go." He escorted the woman out the door quickly. James shut the door behind them and locked it. He then lifted the charm.

"Well, then," he said, "Its good that Sirius is all taken care of now, but I doubt that he will stay with her all night, seems like the jealous type, don't you think?"

Lily smiled, "She reminds me of my sister Petunia, she is also entirely unpleasant. Now, if you excuse me, I would like some quiet so, _Muffliato." _

And then she couldn't hear anything again. Lily was asleep before the twelve hours were up, so James picked her up and put her on his bed again. He sighed; it appeared that he would be sleeping on the couch again.

* * *

**A/N: I just went back and edited this section, so I really hope there aren't any more mistakes. If there are, oh well. Thanks for reading, now all you have to do is leave me a review!**

* * *


	4. Picnic!

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything that belongs to J.K. Rowling. Which is everything.**

**A/N: I changed the name of the story, because I changed my mind about a few things in the story (things I have not yet published) and all of a sudden the title "A Second Chance just didn't fit the story. I really suck at naming stuff, so we can only hope that I can write better than I can name things. The summary hasn't changed too much, its still the whole Lily didn't like James, who loved Lily, he proposed, she said no, they didn't see each other for awhile, then they do, that kind of thing. I'm rambling now, sorry. I kinda suck at summaries too. And I don't even read author's note. Sorry.**

Lily woke up the next morning the same way she had the day before, except it was much earlier and she was much less confused and alarmed. She walked past James, who was still asleep on the couch, and into the kitchen. There, she found Sirius with a cup of coffee. He grinned wickedly when he saw her. "Tell me," he said, "What is your darkest secret?"

"I'm deeply in love with Severus Snape," She said as she toasted a piece of bread with her wand.

"Really?" said Sirius, surprised. "No," replied Lily, "Well, I suppose that solves the Veritaserum problem, and since James is still sleeping, why don't _you _tell me about the meeting?"

Sirius shook his head, "Can't. Dumbledore put some kind of secret-keeping charm on us. Only James can tell you. Sorry Evans, but you'll have to wait until he gets up." Lily gulped down the rest of her own coffee and finished up her toast before marching into the living room.

First, she tried to shake James awake, and then when that didn't work, she tried hitting him with a pillow repeatedly. And then, as a last resort, she pulled out her wand and with a flick of her wrist, tipped the couch over. James was definitely awake now. "Bloody Hell!" he yelled to no one in particular, "wasgoinon?" He looked around the room, confused.

"You're rather disoriented in the morning, aren't you?" Lily commented, enjoying herself now. "Lily!" he said, surprised, "What are you doing here?" She sighed and turned to Sirius who had just entered the room, "Is he always this confused in the morning?" Sirius nodded and said, "Sometimes worse."

Lily sighed in frustration and went back to the kitchen. She returned a minute later with a mug of coffee in hand. She sat down on the floor across from James and handed the coffee to him. "Listen to me, James," she said slowly, "I want you to tell me exactly what happened at the Order of the Phoenix meeting. Can you do that?"

James looked at her, took a sip of coffee and nodded, "Well, after you came in, Mad-Eye disarmed you, but you were pretty quick though, and then they gave you that Veritaserum and McGonagall started questioning you, but you were pretty funny about it…" He continued to fill her in on the details of the meeting. She nodded but didn't interrupt. When he finished he said, "Oh, I almost forgot! What's your favorite color? Do you prefer butterbeer or firewhiskey? Would you rather be stuck in a cellar with me or Sirius?" Lily laughed, "Nope, not answering. I think I'll just go home instead. Bye James, Bye Sirius."

"Bye Lily!" James called, "See you on Sunday!" Lily cracked a tiny smile and disapparated.

* * *

For James, the rest of the week was passing by incredibly slow and all he could think about was the Order's next meeting. He was eager for three reasons in particular. 1) He wanted to help defeat Voldemort, and Moody thought that they might be close to getting some of his followers. 2) He wanted to speak to Remus, they hadn't spoken for two years and they hadn't left Hogwarts on good terms, James was ready to put that behind them. And 3) He was eager to see Lily again.

For Lily, The week was passing in a blur. Sometimes, in those few spare moments she had, she found herself thinking about Remus. Maybe if she could just talk to him again, to tell him that she didn't care that he was a werewolf, because he was human, too. But those moments when she wasn't busy came and went quickly.

On Friday, she was modifying the memory of a muggle who was accidentally squashed when an inexperienced young witch apparated on top of him with a trunk. The injuries weren't bad, but he still needed a memory charm. Anyway, as soon as she was finished, she turned around and saw two familiar faces standing in the doorway.

"James! Sirius!" Lily cried, "What are you two doing here?"

"We need to be given water and sedated," Sirius snickered. Lily looked at him curiously, James had never told her about that, he had forgotten completely. "Actually," James said to Lily, "We came to take you to lunch." He held up the brown bags he and Sirius had packed. Lily opened her mouth to say that she couldn't, but Sirius said first, "We already asked the chief healer and he said it was fine, so you have no excuse not to come with us."

James laughed, "He said he didn't know you had a boyfriend, let alone two." Lily groaned, "And I suppose you just let him go ahead and think that, didn't you?" Sirius grinned, "Well, he is such a busy man, we didn't want to bother him further…" Lily just rolled her eyes, "All right, let's go."

* * *

The three wizards went to a muggle park, a few blocks away from St. Mungo's. "Ever been here?" Sirius asked Lily. Lily shook her head. "Oh, Sirius and I come here all the time, it's a great little place," James said enthusiastically. Sirius pulled a blanket out of his coat pocket and spread it out on the ground. All three of them sat down. James pulled out three of the largest sandwiches Lily had ever seen. 

"Where on earth did you get those?" she asked, laughing. "The muggles make good sandwiches," James replied matter-of-factly. Sirius nodded in agreement. "Here try this one," James suggested, handing her one of the sandwiches. Lily took a bite, "mmm…this is good," she said with her mouth full.

Sirius clapped his hands in delight. "Look at the effect we have on her, James,' he said, laughing, "She's already talking with her mouth full." Lily grinned. "Well," she said teasingly, " if you can't beat 'em…"

They talked and laughed until Sirius saw a pretty young woman walk by. "Excuse me, mates," he said, scurrying after her. Lily laughed softly. "Hasn't changed a bit," she murmured. She and James finished their lunches in silence and watched people pass by. One elderly couple said as they passed them, "Remember when that used to be us?" Lily turned red and glanced at James, who didn't appear to have heard them.

After a while longer, James said, "So, now that you're not under the influence of Veritaserum, what have you been up to since we left Hogwarts?" Lily smiled and said, "Well, after graduation, I got a job as a Healer at St. Mungo's, as you know, I now work in the muggles ward, and I already told you about Remus, and otherwise my life was pretty uneventful until…my parents."

James nodded sympathetically, "I heard about you parents, and I'm really sorry. I understand what you're going through, my parents were among the first to disappear when Voldemort came to power." "I'm sorry," Lily said. Then she added much too brightly, "I'm fine though. Its fine." James nodded and dropped the subject.

Eventually, Sirius came back, smiling triumphantly, and they packed up and walked Lily back to the hospital. "Thanks for lunch, guys," Lily said to them as she went back to work, "See you in a few days."

As they left, one of the other healers came up to Lily and giggled, "Lily, you never told me about your friends, the one with the messy black hair is handsome." Lily just stared at her like she was insane until the chief healer called to Lily and asked her to help the muggle who had sprouted daisies from his head.

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A/N: Well, thanks for reading, you know what you have to do now? Click the review button. review! review! 


	5. Battle Side By Side

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

**A/N: My sister named this chapter. She wants credit. **

On Sunday night, at 10:30, Lily apparated into Hogsmeade. She didn't take the exact same route Remus had taken her on; she had some fun with it. She used floo powder to get to James's apartment, but he had already left, so she apparated to a park she used to play in as a kid. She sat on a swing and thought of how that ended up playing such a big part of her life. Then she went to the Leaky Cauldron, and then used a portkey to get to the same road that led to the Burrow.

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James left to get to the Burrow early. Very, very early. As soon as it got dark, he began his journey. When he knocked on the door at 9:45, the Weasley's were rather surprised to see him. "Er…James, you're here early. Bill just fell asleep," Molly said. James smiled. "Is he excited about being an older brother?" James asked. She put her hand on her slightly bulging stomach. "Is it that noticeable?" she asked, "I'm only two months along." James smiled warmly, "Of course not, Molly, you just have that pregnant woman glow." Molly was beaming as Arthur came in. "Hello Potter," he said as he shook James's hand. "Did you tell him the news, Molly?" She nodded. 

"Come sit down, James," she said gesturing to the couch nearby, "Would you like a cup of tea?" "Yes, thank you, Molly. A cup of tea would be lovely," James said. When she came back with three cups of tea and sat down next to Arthur, across from James; James said, "Well, unfortunately I had forgotten to give you your gift the first time you were expecting." He waved his wand and a square box wrapped in gold paper appeared and floated onto the table in front of the Weasley's.

"Congratulations," James said, grinning. "Oh, my, James, that wasn't necessary," Molly said as she picked up the box. Arthur nodded in agreement. "Of course it was," James objected, still grinning, "Open it." She did, and inside was a large clock. Not a normal clock, because instead of numbers, it had things like, home, traveling, work, school, prison, mortal peril, etc. There three hands that said, Arthur, Molly, and Bill. "When your next child is born, a new hand sill be magically added, and so on," James explained.

"Oh, it is just splendid!" Molly exclaimed. "Thank you James," Arthur said, shaking his hand again. James looked down, slightly embarrassed by their gratitude. "So," Arthur said, "I have a feeling that you didn't just come here this early to give us a gift. What do you need?" "Actually," said James, who was still looking down, "I was hoping to talk to Lupin." The Weasley's exchange glances. "He's not coming tonight. He's, er, indisposed, " Molly said. James looked out the window and, sure enough, there was a full moon.

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Lily took her time walking down the road to the Burrow. She liked the quietness of the country at night. She like the soft whispering of the long grass the random, wildflowers that grew on the edges of the path, and when she looked up at the sky, she say swirls of glittering stars, unlike anything she had ever seen before. It would be nice to live someplace like this when she settled down. The Burrow was starting to come into view now. She was standing on top of the hill that had obscured it before, and it wasn't too much farther, just squished between two considerably large hills. _Hidden in plain sight, _Lily thought. She approached the door, but hesitated. She didn't want to have a repeat of last time. She looked over her shoulder, admiring the beauty of the world around her one more time, when she noticed a bright, shining, _and full _moon. She sighed. It appeared that she wouldn't be talking to Remus tonight.

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James was sitting at the table with Dumbledore, Sirius, McGonagall, Moody, Frank Longbottom and his girlfriend, Alice, the Weasley's, and a few others when Lily came in. "Hello, everyone," she said as she pulled out a chair next to Alice. There were a few murmured greetings and then silence again. Everyone was staring over the Daily Prophet newspapers, hoping to see a pattern in the attacks. Lily started to look too, but like everyone else, she wasn't having much luck. 

And then, Peter came bursting in, with a panicked look on his face. "The Dark Mark!" he yelled, terrified, "Just ten miles west of here!" Everyone jumped to their feet and started shouting at once. Lily stayed quiet though, and she looked over at James and saw that he too, was silent. Everyone started to prepare themselves for battle, in case it came to that. James turned to the Weasley's and said, "I don't think Molly should-" "Of course I'm coming!" she yelled, "I'll be fine." The look in her eyes told James not to pursue the matter further. The Order of the Phoenix apparated, preparing themselves for whatever was coming.

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Lily appeared on another dirt road with James on her right and Molly Weasley on her left. All three of them had their wands drawn. They looked around them. In front of them was an old cottage, rotten and falling apart. Behind them were a cornfield and more Order members. Moody stepped in front of them. "S'pose we should investigate," he said gruffly. He nodded towards Sirius, Peter, and a few other Aurors and said, "Come with me." They nodded and followed him inside, wands still drawn. The rest of them started investigating their surroundings, sticking their wands in bushes and using simple charms to test if the area was secure as the Dark Mark loomed overhead. 

And then they were there. One minute, it was tense, but quiet, and the next minute it was packed with Death Eaters. James was surprised how quickly Lily responded. She had stupefied three Death Eaters before some members even realized what was happening. And the battle had begun.

James was firing off hexes at lightening speed and blocking them as well, but he was always aware of Lily. Out of the corner of his eye he woudln check to make sure she was okay. A few times he looked at her and saw Lily looking back at him, too. He smiled inwardly to himself, but was careful not to be distracted. Once, he was almost hit with the Cruciatus Curse but Lily hit James with a spell and he flew out of the way. And when he landed, he saw it. And it was going right for Lily.

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When Lily heard the crashing noise and saw the Death Eaters, the first thing she did was entirely reflux. She defended herself before they could attack. Then, as more Death Eaters appeared, she started to attack them as well. She became more and more aggressive when it occurred to her that these, these _monsters_ could be the same killed her parents; that took James's parents. She was struggling to remain calm. If she were anything but calm, it could cause her not to think clearly. Anything but calm could cost her life. Every once in a while, she would glance at Molly or James, to see how they were doing. She checked at the perfect time. Someone fired a Cruciatus at James, and Lily responded once again on sheer reflux. She fired a charm at James that sent him hurtling out of the way. Relieved that he was okay, Lily turned back to what she was doing, and happened to see Moody coming out of the cottage. He was carrying someone. Lily turned her head for a better look at the man's face, which is why she didn't see a large projectile hit the right side of her head. "Lily!" someone screamed. And then everything went black. 

**A/N: There you go, folks. The stories almost finished, I'm planning on only having one or two more chapters. We'll see. **


	6. Not Alone

**Diclaimer: I own nothing.**

**A/N: This is the final chapter of "Not Alone" and everything sorta comes together here. Thanx for reading, everyone, remember to review, blah, blah, blah. :D**

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Lily woke up once again in an unfamiliar bedroom and with an awful pounding in her head. The clock on the wall said three a.m. Lily stood up and crossed the room to the window. The view outside was familiar and told her that she was still in the Burrow. 

Unable to get back to sleep, Lily went downstairs and into the kitchen. She froze when she entered the room. The table was strewn with newspapers and the chairs were pulled out in every direction, as if many people abruptly stood up and were in too big a hurry to push them back into place.

And last night came flooding back to her. Not all at once, in little bits and small images. The country sky. Peter yelling. The old cottage. James fighting beside her. James peeking at her to see if she was alright. The Death Eaters. Saving James. James screaming her name. A large rock thrown at her by magic. A dead man's face.

She sat down on the couch, frustrated. Who's face was it? It wasn't James; she knew that for sure. For a brief moment she worried that it was Remus, but then she remembered that if he were there, he would not be in his human form. She thought harder, concentrating until she saw his face clearly. She recognized him. Molly Weasley's brother.

Poor Molly. Lily knew she was the one that had to clean her and the other Order members up at the battle last night, and her brother was dead.

Then it all hit her. Everything she had been bottling up for the last few weeks, maybe even months, came out. She had never felt this lost before, this alone. So Lily cried.

She cried for Molly's brother, who would never see the sky again. For Molly, who was close to him and for Molly's unborn child who would never meet his own uncle.

She cried for her parents. She cried for the way they had to die, at the hands and mercy of a murderer, no time for goodbyes, they were probably dead before they realized what was happening. They had left her. They were the only things keeping her family together and they were gone.

Lily cried for Remus. Remus, who she thought she had loved, who had never loved in her return. Remus, who was burdened with the belief that he was a monster.

She cried for James's parents, among the first to disappear. She cried for James.

She cried for her friends she had no longer had from when she was young. For one friend in particular, the one who had lost his way. She cried for him knowing that she did not try to help him because he did not deserve help. If she had helped him, would he be different? She wondered if he ever stood a chance against what he had become. She wondered if he was out there tonight, fighting on the other side.

And everything seemed connected to one person. One evil man who's heart was so distorted it was barely human. Lily wept most bitterly for him, for the man they once called Tom Riddle. She cried, wondering what had made him this way; that had made him this monster. She cried for him, wishing that someone had given him love and compassion. She cried because she knew he would no longer accept it. She cried for the man they once called Tom Riddle, knowing if he were different, she would be too. If he were different, then she wouldn't have to cry for anyone at all. Lily had never felt this empty, this alone before. The emptiness threatened to swallow her.

And then someone was there, sitting next to her on the couch. Someone who put their arms around Lily and pulled her closer to them. At first, Lily thought that it was Lupin, but she knew that she wasn't quite right. Lupin's arms didn't feel so…strong and safe. Lupin's arms were never closed so tightly around her, they always hung around her loosely, giving her a chance to break free and run if she wanted. These arms did not do that. And Lily didn't want to run anyway.

She was still sobbing as she buried her head into the person's chest. She stayed there for an eternity or longer, shaking and crying in this person's arms. But she felt so warm and safe in theses arms, so untouchable, that she was beginning to calm down a bit.

She felt so much better, the emptiness that was going to swallow her earlier had disappeared, and in its place was a new, stronger feeling. A feeling that told her everything would be okay as long as she stayed where she belonged, right here in these arms. Someone was resting their cheek on her head. And Lily knew it belonged there.

Because of those arms wrapped tightly around her, clinging her body to their own, because of the warm cheek resting on top of her head, everything would be okay, despite everything.

Despite the fact that they were in the middle of a war and that people were dying. Despite the fact that everyone who had ever loved her and who she had loved had left her, leaving her alone. Well, almost everyone. She lifted her tear-streaked face upward and looked into the eyes of James Potter.

His face told Lily that they could fight side by side; that he would always be there to hold her and comfort her at three in the morning. He told her that he would listen to her troubles and that she didn't have to suffer alone, she would always have a friend. He told her all this without words.

And his face confirmed everything that she was now feeling. His face told her that she was, in fact, not alone.

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**A/N: Wow, its done. I can't believe it. Sure, it wasn't that long, but more than one teacher has told me that I have the attention span of a spastic squirrel (I'm not kidding.) I had Lily refer to Voldy as Tom Riddle because I think that she would not see him as this powerful evil monster, but more as this fragment of this unloved guy he used to be, Tom Riddle. Just letting you know, because apparently that confused some people. Please review and tell me if you were happy with how the story went. If you were happy with it, thank you. If you weren't, well, I'm sorry, go read someone else's fanfic. Thanks everyone for reading! (Now you just have to review)**


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